Subsoil plow



Patented Apr. 27, 1926.

ADEN LESTER MON'.l'GrOlVlIFlRY, OF

`SAN JOSE, CALIFORlNlLZ-L,y

KNAPP, OF SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA,

s'UBsoIL PLOW.

Application led February 20, 1923.

To all wiz/0m 'it may concern.'

lilo it known that I, ADEN Lnsrnn MONT- eoMnnY, a citizen ol the United States, re siding at San Jose, county of SantayClara, and State of California, have Ainvented new and useful Improvements in Subsoil Plows, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to agricultural implements and particularly pertains to what are commonly termed subsoil plows. These tools are employed to fracture the strata ot' hardpan usually occurring a distance below the surface of ground which has been regularly subjected vto tillage! It Iis the principal object of the present invention to provide a generally improved subsoil plow, designed torequire but a minimum amount of draft and fitted with simple and efficientmechanism for lowering or raising the plow relative to the ground andfor regulating the depth ofeut of the tool.

The invention contemplates the ure of a plow frame mounted upon rwheels in aV manner permitting it to be lowered relative r -to the wheels by gravity and what is known as the suck ot the plow iin, orfraised when not in motion by a hand lift and' when in motion by a power lift depending for operation upon the forward motion of the implement. The mechanism. for controlling the lowering` and raising of the frameis arranged that it may be operated by' a single means convenient to therv dri ver of the't-ractor employed to draw the implement.

One form which the invention may assume is exemplified in the 'following' description and illustrated by way of example in the accon'ipanying drawings `in which f F ig. l is a side elevation ot an agricultural implement embodying the present invention as seen when the the ground. p ,f

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary vview in peripective disclosing the construction and arrange ment of the mechai'iismofthe implement- Fig. 3 isla side elevation of the implement as seen when the plow is in engagement with the ground.

'Fig-r. at is a `pla-n View ofi Shownin the preceding figure.

plow is disposed clear ofA the device asl serial No. 620,230;

VReferring more particularly to the accompanying drawings, 9 indicates yarsubsoil plow adapted for use in penetrating the soil to a depth siulicieiit to vbreak up'the strata of hard'pan that forms beneath the surface of soil that has been regularly subjected to tillage. 4

This strata has been found detrimental to the successfulcultivation of Ecrops and is located yat a depth exceeding that reached by ordinary plows.` However, the depth et this strata ofy hardpan-varies according to conditions and it is necessary, therefore, to construct the subsoil plow to cut atfvaried depths with equal eliiciency and amount ot draft;

ln the present instance the implement is conritructed with a frame or plow beam l0 formed of a centralbeamlll and side braces 112. The ends of the side braces' converge toward the central beam and are rigidly connected thereto. The side braces are fitted with bearings l-l for the reception of anaxlepl. This axle is U-shaped and tormedvwith horizontal end portions 16 upon which wheels 17 `are rotatably mounted. It is' seen that the horizontal base section '1.8 of the U-shaped port-ion ofy the axle is Vthe part which'is mounted in the bearings. ltA is obvious, therefore, that turning movement of the axle lwill affect the position of the frame relativer to thc wheels. p l u Y Y rlhe axle,` as shown, is mounted above the beam or frame l0. This prevents the accumulation of clogs of earth under the beam which would act to retardthe implement. llxtending downwardly from the beam a standard lf) which is fitted at its lower end with a land shoe 20. The forward end of this hoe formed to serve asa mountino' ltor a plow i'in'or blade 2l.

the cutting tool and is mounted at an angle to' the horizontal so that it will have sufficient suck, or `in other words a tendency aresharpened so that it may be reversed, thus lengthening its `period of usefulness.

. The standard 19 is rigidly secured at its upper vend to the central learn ll of the AssIeNoR 'ro HORACE G.,

rhis tin plow frame 't0 and extends downwardly at an acute angle to the beam or frame. This arrangement, together with the fact that the front edge of the standard 19 is knife-like, results in giving a` shearing etl'ect when the standard is drawn through the ground, requiring but a minimum amount of traction power.

To permit the plow to lower into the ground and regulate the depth of out, a latch mechanism 2la is provided. This mechanism comprises a vertical member 22 rigidly connected to the plow frame. The upperend of this member is pivotally connected to the front end of a pair of latch bars 23,' which are arranged parallel at a spaced distance apart and are secured together at their ends. The spacing between the bars is sufficient to accommodate a sliding gage member 2% having a stop member 25 secured at its rear extremity. This gage member is slidable between the latch bars, and its front end is fitted with a feed nut 26, which threadedly engages a feed screw 27 mounted above the latch bars for turning movement only. This screw may be rotated by means of a hand crank 2S. It is seen that by operating the feed screw 27, the position of the stop member 25 may be moved longitudinally between the latch bars.

The lower edges of the latch bars 23 are formed with aligned notches 2Sa which are adapted to accommodate a pin or bolt 29 fixed adjacent the upper end of an axle lever 30'. This lever is formed of two connec-ted side portions 31 which embrace the latch bars as shown in Fig. 2. The lever is also provided with a. trip lever 31a which is fitted at its lower end with a bail shaped yoke 32, the ends of which pivot about the pin 29. The base section 33 of the yoke engages the lower edges of the latch bars 23, so that when the mechanism is in normal position, forward shifting movement of the yoke will raise the rear end of the latch bars.

VReference being had to Fig. l, it will be seen that the pin 29 is in engagement with the notches 28a in the latch bars 23. As the lower end or hub of the axle lever 30 is keyed to the axle and the upper end thereof carries the pin 29, the engagement mentioned latches the axle in position relative to the frame. in this position the fin or plow point 2l is maintained out of engagement with the ground. The latch mechanism just described is controlled by a cable or rope 34 which may be led to a point convenient to the tractor used for drawing the plow. This cable is led over a pulley 35 mounted at the upper end of the trip lever 3l, and is knotted as at 32a.. This knot cannot pass over the pulley and, therefore, when a pull Vis exerted on the rope, thetrip lever 31 is swung forwardly. This movement of the` lever 3la causes the yoke at its lower end, to raise the latch bars and discontinue the engagement between the notches 28a and the pin 29.

The weight of the plow frame and the auxiliary mechanism is so distributed that upon release of the latch engagement, the rear end of the plow frame will lower and the fin or blade will engage the ground. When the implement is in forward motion the so-called suck of the blade will cause it to penetrate the ground to the full depth desired. This depth is regulated by the stop member 25 on the gage member 2l. In other words, the frame and axle will assume the positions substantially as shown in Fig. 3.

As the axle lever 3() is keyed to the axle when the frame lowers, the lever 230 will be forced to swing in the direction of the arrow A shown in Fig. l. The lever 30 may continue to swing in this direction until the yoke 32 on the lower end of the trip lever 81a engages the stop member 25 on the gage member. It is thus seen that by adjusting the position of the stop member 25 the depth of cut may be regulated as desired.

The implement is provided with a power lift mechanism which depends upon forward motion of the implement for operation. This power lift comprises "ratchet wheels 36 fixed to the hubs of the ground wheels 17 and pawls 37 pivotally mounted on bearings 38 fixed on the legs 39 of the axle. These pawls are mounted one adjacent each ratchet wheel 36 and are normally held out of engagement therewith by springs 40.

Reference being had to Fig. 2, it is seen that the pawls are angular in shape, the upper portion being bifurcated as at el to support a pin 42.

The upper ends of the pawls are connected by a horizontal bar LS so thatthey may be operated in unison by a control lever tat rigidly connected at one end to the bar a3. The other end of the lever #ist is connected to the end of the control rope 3i and it is intended that a pull exerted on this rope will swing the pawls to place the pins 42 thereon into engagement with the ratchet wheels. As the ratchet wheels revolve in unison with the ground wheels. and one end of the pawls connects with the legs 39 of the axle, the. engagement mentioned causes the U-portion of the axle to swing in unison with the ratchet wheels until the bar 14% engages the frame and discontinues the engagement between the pawls and ratchet wheels. This distance is sufficientto re-establish the engagement between the pins 29 on the axle lever 30 and the notches 2S on the latch bars 2?). This engagement, as descrilied, maintains the plow frame in raised or inoperative position.

` levei 3l and its lli A ed to' the legs 39 of In operation ofthe device, it will be assumed kthat Va tractor l is connected to the front thereof for Vdrar'ving the same.` Vhen the depth of cut desired is determined, the feed screw 27 may be rotated by means of the hand crank 28 to set the 'stop member 25. The rope34 may then be pulled to raise the latch bars 23 through the medium ofthe trip yoke 32 to release the latching engagement between the notches-2,8a in the latch bars 23 and the pin'29 in the axle lever 30. The weight of the mechanism will then cause the plow frame to lower and engage the plow iin 2l with the ground. Continued forward movement of the plow will.

cause the fin to burrow into the ground to the full dept-li permitted bythe position of the stop member 25. f

Vfhen it is desired to raise the iin 2l from the ground when the plow is in motion, a pull is exerted on the cable 34 to engage the pawls 37 with the ratchet wheels 36. As the ratchet wheels 36 turn in unison with the ground wheels 17 and the pawls are connectthe axle, the engagement mentioned causes the axle to turn in -unison with the wheels and raise the plow frame. Then the frame is raised to proper position, the bar i3 engages the frame and automatically disengages the pawls from the ratchet wheels. At this point, the pin 29 has engaged the notches 23a in the latch bars and prevents the frame from lowering.

lVhen not in motion, the frame may be raised` by revolving the feed screw 27 until the stop member has returned the upper end of the axle lever to a position wherer the pin 29 may engage the notches 28a. The lever 30 is, as described, keyed to the axle and, therefore, when it is swung by the member 25, the axle is turned to raise the frame accordingly. v

Prior to the present invention, the standards of the s ubsoil plows in use were mounted at right angles to the plow frame. The

front edge of the standards set at this angle,

oiiered considerable resistance when drawn through the ground. This resistance increased accordingly as the iin burrowed deeper into the ground. By ymounting the standard 19 at an acute angle to the frame, I overcome this resistance and considerably reduce the amount of draft necessary. In actual practice, I have found that the sharpened vfront edge and the angle the standard is set gives shearing effect offering but slight resistance.` Y

From the foregoing, itis obvious that a generally improved subsoil plow has been provided, and it is to be understood'that while I have shown and described the preferred form of the invention, various changes in the construction and combination of the parts may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

.y Having thus described my invention, what I .claimV and desire vto secure by Letters Patent is f c l. In combination with a plow frame, a cank axle having its transverse portions journalled on the frame, said axle carrying' ground wheels at its ends whereby turning .movement imparted thereto will raise or lower the frame relative tol the wheels, an arm secured to the axle, at its front end to the plow frame and extending longitudinally of the plow, rcooperating latch means on said latch bar and said swinging arm for latching said arm in a position mintaining the frame in a raised or inoperative position, operable means for disengaging said latch means to permit the axle to turn ,and lower the frame, and adjustable means carried by said latch bar for engaging said swinging arm to limit the turning movement of the axle.

2. In combination with a plow frame, a crank axle having its transverse portions journalled on the frame, said axle carrying ground wheels at its ends whereby turning movement imparted thereto will raise or lower the frame relative to the wheels, an arm secured to the axle, a latch bar pivoted at its front end Yto the plow frame and extending longitudinally of the plow, cooperatingV latch means on said latch bar and said swinging arm for latching said arm iii a position maintaining the frame in a raised or inoperative position, opeiable means for disengaging said latch means to permit the axle to turn and lower the frame, and adjustable means carried by said latch bar for engaging said swinging arm to limit the turning movenient of the axle, said means being movable longitudinally of the plow and adapted to be manually operated to swing said arm and act therethrough to return the axle and frame to an inoperative or raised position.

3. In combination with a plow frame, a crank axle having' its transverse portions journalled onthe frame, said axle carrying ground wheels at its' ends whereby turningv movement imparted thereto willy raise or lower the frame relative to the wheels, an arm secured to the axle, a latch bar above the plow frame and pivoted at vits forward end to the frame and extending longitudinally of the plow, a latch pin carried by said swinging arm, said latch bar being formed with a notch engageable with said pin whereby the swinging arm may be latched in a position maintaining said plow frame raised, and a trip lever pivotallyconnected to said swinging arm and having means thereon engageable with said latch bar,

whereby swinging movement of the tripk lever will be accompanied by upward movement of the latch bar to disengage the latch pin from the notch in the latch bar whereby Y to release said armto permit the axle to turn a latch bar pivoted arm, said screw means being also eapable oli' operation to move said Stop member forwardly of the frame and to cause Swinging l0 movement oi? said arm and thereby raise Ille plow frame.

ADEN LESTER MONTGMER Y. 

